Facebook Messenger is bringing AR to video calls

Social media giant Facebook is adding augmented reality (AR) features to video calls on its Messenger platform, including its video conferencing tool, Messenger Rooms. 

In a blog post announcing the news, the company said the new “Group Effects” feature will be a “shared experience”, and will work for everyone collaborating via a video call. At launch, the feature will have more than 70 different effects, including various games. 

“Group Effects provide a more engaging and interactive way to connect with your friends. They also support the creator community and give people more ways to express themselves,” the blog post reads.

AR innovations

Those interested in trying out the new Group Effects should start a video call or create a room in Messenger, and then tap the smiley face top open the effects tray. From there, you can select different group effects or AR experiences to share with everyone else in the call. 

Group Effects are also expected to roll out on Instagram soon. 

These are not the only novelties Facebook is bringing to Messenger. The Spark AR API will be available to a wider range of developers before the end of the month, so we can expect the number of effects to quickly grow. 

The number of chat themes is also growing. The Halloween theme is coming just in time for the famed holiday, while James Bond-themed soundmojis are being released to follow up on the recently released No Time to Die movie. 

TechCrunch also reported Facebook rolling out “suggested word effects”, which trigger an animation in the chat, when certain words are typed out. So, for example, typing out the word “congratulations” will give the user the option to create an effect for the term. 

The feature first rolled out in August for special holidays and inside jokes, but it’s now expanding to more phrases, and should be available to both Android and iOS users “in the coming weeks.”

Looking to up your video call game? You might want to check out our list of the best business webcams as well.

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